Metro identifies 2 officers involved in fatal shooting

By Jackie Valley

Sunday, May 29, 2011 | 1:19 p.m.

Metro Police on Sunday identified two officers involved in the fatal Friday shooting of a man who police say was assaulting a woman in the northeast valley.

The two officers involved were 27-year-old Robert S. Thompson, who was been with Metro since January 2002, and 26-year-old Baudelio Gastelum, with the department since November 2006. Both are in the downtown area command's patrol division.

The incident began when police responded to reports of a domestic disturbance at 7:33 a.m. Friday in the 2900 block of Theresa Avenue, near Washington Avenue and Mojave Road. Metro spokesman Officer Marcus Martin said officers received reports that a man was trying to stab a woman with a screwdriver.

When officers arrived, police heard an altercation inside the house. After entering, they went to a back room and found a 36-year-old man assaulting a woman, police said.

Officers gave commands in Spanish and English for the man to release the woman, but the man didn't heed the officers’ commands, police said. An altercation with officers ensued and police tried to use a Taser on the man twice, but it had no effect, Martin said.

The man then reached for an officer’s Taser, prompting police to fire, killing the man. The woman had no serious injuries, Martin said.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office will identify the man. The officers were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard policy in cases of officer-involved shootings.